UAE expats: Faced a delay sending money home? 5 steps to take next

Dubai: If your remittance back home over the weekend was delayed or ended up in the wrong account, you’re not alone — and you're right to be concerned. For many UAE expats, timely money transfers are essential for supporting families, paying school fees, covering medical expenses, or meeting monthly bills.

While most transfers go through smoothly, even the most reliable money exchange services can face occasional hiccups. Just this past weekend, a minor technical glitch at one of the country’s leading exchange houses momentarily disrupted fund transfers, causing a few transactions to be misdirected. The company later confirmed that the issue was quickly resolved, with most funds recovered and operations returning to normal.

Even though no widespread disruption occurred, the incident is a timely reminder that remittance delays — whether due to technical issues, bank holidays, or compliance checks — can and do happen. Knowing what to do next can save you stress and help ensure your money gets where it needs to go.

So what should you do if your remittance faces delays in the UAE? Here's a step-by-step guide to stay calm and take control.

Before assuming anything has gone wrong, log into your bank or exchange house app or website to track the transaction. Look for:

Transfers made after business hours or during public holidays — either in the UAE or the recipient country — may naturally take longer. If it's a weekend or bank holiday where the money is being sent, this could be the cause of the delay.

If your money hasn’t arrived within the usual timeframe (often a few hours to a business day), reach out to the provider’s customer support:

Ask for a SWIFT copy or tracking reference, which shows whether the money has been sent, received, or held up in between.

Even without technical glitches, money transfers may face delays due to:

There have been numerous instances in the past where remitted funds were transferred to the wrong customer accounts due to a system error. But in most cases, it’s a simpler clerical or compliance issue.

If your funds are still unaccounted for after 3–5 business days and you're not getting clear answers, it’s time to escalate:

If a transfer has failed, you have the right to request a full refund. Depending on the service and destination bank, this can take a few days — so plan your remittance dates ahead of time, especially for urgent payments.

Whether you use exchange houses like Al Ansari, Lulu Exchange, or apps like e& money, Lulu Money, Wise, Remitly or Western Union, there are a few ways to reduce future risk regardless of the remittance platform you use:

For now, if your transaction was impacted, rest assured that it's being resolved — but if you ever face a remittance delay again, you now know exactly what to do.